contrasting modes of self expression. If we were to describe them in terms of Religiousness Type A and Religiousness Type B, the polarity would be clear with the Apollonian nature of man at one end, and the Dionysian at the other. To a certain extent they can also be seen to embody the opposition of science and religion, which occurs frequently in modernist/post-modernist thought – Apollo can be seen to portray the scientific, rational mind and Dionysus the raw emotive power that can only be unleashed though belief and emotion alone. For gender however, both gods cannot be said to be either fully masculine or feminine, but rather each signifies a complimentary state of sexual ambiguity – and as the immortal representatives of this state, they perfectly embody the fact that gender does not necessarily correlate to biological sex. Both the Apollonian, with their expression of outer belief as Religious Type A and the Dionysian with their expression of inner belief as Religiousness Type B are the perfect expressions of the fluctuating principle of gender in the post-modern world.
Gwendolyn Toynton is a Masters student in Religious Studies. She is also the the publisher and editor of Primordial Traditions a free online magazine, published quarterly. Gwendolyn Toynton is also a published poet and exhibited artist.
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